This invention relates to adjustable cargo spacers and a method of using the same. The inventive cargo spacers are suitable for auto parts box cars, and could be used advantageously to secure loads in other freight cars or truck transport.
Rail cars such as box cars transport lading arranged within an enclosed cargo area. Specialized freight cars such as those used to transport auto parts use racks on which these auto parts are secured. Rack sizes vary to suit various sizes of auto parts and are loaded into the cargo area of a freight car. To prevent shifting of the racks, a wooden rack spacer is applied to an end of the car to fill any remaining space.
When a freight car is first configured to transport the auto parts, the spacer is custom built from lumber to suit the rack sizes and fill any space at the ends of the car. When different auto parts are shipped, different racks are used necessitating a different sized spacer. Removing and rebuilding the spacer is labor intensive, time consuming and expensive.
In addition to the cost and time associated with building and reconfiguring lumber cargo spacers, the weight of the spacers is not included with the freight car as delivered to the customer. The weight of the spacers subsequently must be calculated and accounted for when loading the car and when determining the center of gravity of the freight car.
Numerous adjustable lading restraints for securing cargo have been proposed in the prior art. Prior art cross-members take up space when in a stowed position reducing the available cargo area in which to transport the load. The prior art cross-members are also difficult to adjust with one person because they must be lifted out of the track, or if it is possible to slide the cross-members, the cross-members become misaligned in the tracks.
Another drawback with prior art adjustable cross members is that the locks used to secure the cross members relative to the freight car protrude into the cargo area so that the locks may become damaged, dislodged, or damage the lading. Moreover, prior art locks can be rather complex. Additionally, the holes in which the locks are received tend to be located in weak structural components of the freight car so that the freight car is likely to become damaged if the lading violently collides with or exerts a great force on the rack spacers.
Therefore, what is needed is an adjustable spacer that is reconfigurable, eliminates time and expense of rebuilding, does not reduce or interfere with the cargo area, and is easy to operate by one person.